Scenes From a River
by pocketbookangel
Summary: Set a couple of years after the series. Wolfram wants to be a good friend and a good brother, but is difficult when everyone insists on being stubborn and sad.  The pairing is Conrad/Yuuri, but the story is mostly about Wolfram.


Wolfram didn't regret the end of his engagement to Yuuri until about two weeks after when it looked like his grand and noble sacrifice had been in vain. Wolfram was not in the habit of making grand and noble sacrifices, but he decided that he was not one to stand in the path of true love and so he gracefully removed himself. The complete lack of appreciation shown by Yuuri and that man was vexing.

He had steeled himself to the prospect of watching the happy couple and he had prepared several facial expressions that he thought would be appropriate and would, perhaps, induce a little bit of guilt in the lovers. He knew that Bored Indifference (with an undertone of longing) and Subtle Wistfulness (laced with nostalgia) looked especially charming on him and he was looking forward to deploying them at the next state dinner.

Wolfram had wanted to marry Yuuri. Everyone wanted Yuuri but he was the one who had him. Gradually, his enthusiasm dimmed as Yuuri continued to pull away from his touch and the honest eyes that met his were same eyes with which he met everyone. Almost everyone.

Wolfram had watched them fall in love. Yuuri would stare at Conrad with the open-mouthed eagerness of a puppy gazing a squeaky toy on a high shelf. Conrad would respond by solicitously passing the salt. Yuuri would sigh. It was all too much for the breakfast table. Decisive action had to be taken.

The engagement was broken off in a scene that was noisy yet elegant. Still, the sighs and the salt passing continued. And now Yuuri had come up with what had to be his stupidest idea ever.

"Wolfram," Yuuri said, "Do you think, I mean, it's only been two weeks and if it's too soon, I understand, I don't want to cause more talk but I was thinking that..."

This is it, Wolfram thought. Yuuri would ask his permission to date, an absurd human word, his brother. And Wolfram would understand.

"It's not like I want to get engaged or anything, but I was thinking it was about time I met some princesses."

Princesses?

"Yeah, I know it's only been a couple of weeks, and if it looks bad, that's okay, I can wait—"

"Princesses?"

During their engagement Wolfram had frequently been overheard expressing the opinion that his intended was both weak and not very bright. Wolfram felt that this was an appropriate time to reiterate both of these points. He finished with "I didn't give you up so you could marry some random princess."

"I just wanted to—"

"I gave you up because you were in love with my brother."

Yuuri blinked. "Oh."

Wolfram's anger drained away. He had said it.

"If that's why," Yuuri said, "If that's why you broke off our engagement then, if you want, it can be on again."

"What?"

"Nothing is going to happen between Conrad and me. It's like I'm in a river and Conrad is running along next to it, and no matter how fast he runs, it isn't the same."

This made no sense to Wolfram. Maybe Yuuri was talking about the world where he was born.

"So, if you want, how does it work? I could slap you again," Yuuri continued.

"It would look bad. On/off, on/off, an engagement isn't a lamp." Wolfram kept his best offended expression on until Yuuri left the room.

Yuuri had not denied possessing feelings for Conrad, but he sounded certain that "nothing" would happen. Wolfram considered this carefully. Had Yuuri confessed his feelings to Conrad and been rejected? If Yuuri confessed while still engaged, well, Conrad was known for his loyalty. This should be a simple matter to fix.

Wolfram looked for his brother. Usually this was simple: find Yuuri, turn to the left (or right). Today, while Yuuri moodily paced the halls, Conrad was nowhere to be seen. Was it possible…

Wolfram paused outside Conrad's door, then decided to enter without knocking. He abandoned his usual style of dramatic entry; this was obviously a situation that called for stealth.

It was possible. Conrad was asleep, one arm thrown over his eyes to block out the light.

Conrad's room was drab compared to bedrooms in the rest of the castle. The shelves were almost bare: a few paper covered books, a bottle of ink, an unframed drawing, and what looked like toys. Wolfram realized it had been years since he'd been in Conrad's room. It hadn't been so empty back then. There had been a densely patterned rug, dark blue and bordered with text written in Old Calorian, leather-bound books on every shelf, a trompe l'oeil landscape on one wall, and an antique sabre and a pair of poignards displayed on the other. All fairly standard for a member of the royal family.

Wolfram crossed the bare floor to examine the items on the shelf. The books were shabby, and mostly written in some strange language. The stuffed toy did not appear to belong to any known species, which meant it was one of Gwendal's. The drawing was a childish scrawl, with crude human figures marked "mamma" and "me." _So you don't forget us when you travel with your Papa._ Wolfram felt a brief flash of shame at this reminder of both his childish sentimentality and poor draftsmanship. He grabbed the toy bird, which let out an indignant squeak.

"You have bad taste." Wolfram glared at the traitorous toy bird.

"Can't be helped, I suppose." The circles under Conrad's eyes were so dark they stood out against his tan. Wolfram wondered how long it had been since his brother had really slept, and he began to regret interrupting him. Wolfram set the toy down.

"Yuuri's world is so strange. However did you survive it?

"It wasn't so bad. There were even times I thought about staying."

The bare room. Conrad must have cleared it out because he hadn't ever planned on returning to it. At that time, he must have believed every goodbye would be final.

"I just spoke to Yuuri, and he was spouting off some ridiculous ideas about girls and dating." Wolfram's pronunciation of the word dating left no doubt as to his low opinion of the activity.

"Yes, he did say something about that."

"Well?"

"I think our brother tried to make him understand that unlike a private citizen, the Maoh can't take a girl for a stroll in the garden without political repercussions." Conrad's pronunciation of the phrase "stroll in the garden" made the expression barely euphemistic. "Yuuri said that he wants to enjoy his last teenage year, and I am not going to interfere with that."

"But—"

"Time passes faster for him than it does for us. I've seen this before," Conrad said gently. Wolfram's silence became a question.

"My father."

Wolfram tried to remember if he'd ever met Conrad's father. The divorce had happened long before Wolfram's birth. He had a vague image, an old man on a horse, but it faded as Wolfram tried to grasp it.

"I'm sorry, Wolfram. This is partly my fault. I told him you wouldn't wait, so if he wasn't going to make it up with you, then he should discover for himself what he wants his time to mean."

"But I would wait for him."

"Of course."

I did wait for him, Wolfram thought resentfully.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. You know, it really is pointless for you to stay up every night protecting him. The guards do just as well with you as without you, and if he is going to start dating he'll want some privacy," Wolfram said as he gracefully exited the room, not deigning to notice the hurt look on Conrad's face. The cruelty was deliberate; Wolfram wanted to punish Conrad, not for doubting Wolfram's feelings, but for casually and coldly revealing the fear concealed in their hearts. The Mazoku blood in Yuuri's veins was strong enough to carry his power, but would it be strong enough for anything else?

"Wolfram! Looks like you brought spring with you."

It was the first truly clear day at Blood Pledge Castle, and the rains had left the gardens in a frenzy of color.

Yuuri hadn't changed much since the last time Wolfram had seen him; he was taller, and his shoulders were broader, but his smile was the same. If rumours were to be believed, that smile had swayed quite a few hearts, Mazoku and human, male and female.

"I told you he was a cheating playboy," Wolfram had told his cousin Hilda after she came to him in tears, demanding inside knowledge, anything to catch the Maoh's attention.

"The castle seems so empty with you and Conrad gone, and Greta away at school."

"I stopped at her school before coming here. She sends her love and this." Wolfram pulled out an elaborately decorated envelope. "It seems she has inherited my artistic talent," Wolfram said proudly.

"So it seems. Wolfram?" Yuuri's tone became confidential. "I've been thinking—are you okay?"

"Sorry, I just choked on something."

"I'm thinking next time Conrad comes back, maybe asking him not to leave anymore. The differences between us used to seem so great."

"And now?"

"I don't think they're important anymore. It's like I'm in a river, and it's pushing me, but there are rocks and branches and things that I can grab on to so I can stay within his sight."

"You're not very good at metaphors."

"I know."

They strolled through the gardens in silence. For a moment it was like the days after Yuuri's arrival, with spring unfolding around them and Wolfram desperately trying to understand Yuuri's heart. I was so far from him, and I didn't even know it, Wolfram thought. Now we're close, but it isn't important anymore. Wolfram reluctantly put his love in the past tense.

Like Yuuri, the castle had changed very little. "Our long lifespan discourages innovation," Anissina always said, and now Wolfram was old enough to see it was true.

Gunter stood out on the balcony, carefully posed so the golden edge of sunset would illuminate his hair. "They say in the early days of this kingdom, the weather would reflect the Maoh's mood." Gunter sighed. "Such a romantic legend."

"Romantic? I'm sure that new college of lady-scientists would have something to say about your meteorological fantasies."

"I'm sure they would be more likely to object to being called lady-scientists. And studies have shown a correlation between strong feelings, such as love, and elevated levels of maryoku."

"A playboy king like Yuuri is sure to skew the results," Wolfram said.

Conrad had returned to the castle the night before. No one had seen him; he had gone straight to the Maoh's chambers, but everyone in the castle knew he was there.

"Last year the Maoh was displeased at the amount we spent on his birthday festivities. He has such elegant, simple taste. As for this year, well, summer weddings are very beautiful." Gunter's eyes shone at the thought.

"Oh? Are you getting married?"

"Sadly, I have yet to find a companion to accompany me as I stroll through the gardens of life. I was referring to the Maoh…" Gunter tactfully left the sentence unfinished.

"They've probably already eloped."

"What? That cannot be!" Gunter hurried back into the castle, his cape fluttering indignantly behind him.

Wolfram silently apologized to the lovers who were about to have their idyll disturbed. He let Bored Indifference settle charmingly on his face while he waited for Gunter to return with news of either a royal engagement or a scandalous elopement.


End file.
